The present invention relates to a four-way pallet. More particularly this invention concerns such a pallet made unitarily of a single molded and structured plate.
A four-way pallet of the above-described general type is known which is formed with nine bosses constituting feet and arranged in three parallel rows. These rows define two pairs of mutually perpendicular ways underneath the pallet so that the tines of a lift truck or the like can pass between them from all four sides and lift the pallet and its load. Such pallets have shown themselves to be considerably better than the well-known wooden four-way pallet, as the wooden slats of such a pallet frequently damage the goods on the pallet. Furthermore such pallets, which are usually made of a single structured and molded plate of substantially uniform thickness can be nested one within the other so that they can be stored in a very reduced area, whereas the wooden pallets cannot be nested at all. In addition such pallets are normally formed with edges that act as good protection for the lowest layer of a load of sacks carried on the pallet.
Such pallets nonetheless have the disadvantages that their edges are excessively weak and are frequently damaged in handling. A damaged portion frequently leads to breaking of the entire pallet into several pieces when it is lifted. Another considerable problem is that the feet or bosses on which the pallet is adapted to stand constitute a relatively limited surface area. Thus it is almost never possible to stack one pallet directly on top of another loaded pallet. For such a stacking it is necessary to put a rigid board, normally a square or rectangle of heavy plywood, on top of the lower load so that a pallet can be set on top of it. Thus it is necessary in such warehousing systems to provide a supply of such plywood plates, approximately one for each pallet. This considerably increases the stacking time and also increases costs.
It has been suggested to overcome some of these problems by forming the pallet with three parallel ridges acting as feet and forming between them two rows accessible from two opposite sides of the pallet. Access from the other two sides is made possible by cutting out the ridges along two ways so that the tines of the fork lift can poke through the aligned apertures at right angles to the ridges and lift the pallet. Such a system has the advantage of considerable rigidity in at least one direction and is, unlike the above-described type, able to move along a roller-type conveyor. Nonetheless the provision of such large ridges makes it essential to provide another flat board on top of the pallet when a load of bag material or the like is to be carried on the pallet, as the considerable depressions constituted by these ridges in the top often allow the bags to hang down where they can be pierced by the tines or simply break spontaneously.